07/27/07: Benefit for 400 Blows drummer in LA
BENEFIT FOR FERDIE FROM 400 BLOWS Saturday, August 4th, with:
The Locust
The Bronx
Qui with David Yow
+ 2 very special guest headliners(*)!
6:00pm / All Ages / $15 advance $17 day, @ The Echoplex (Beneath the Echo), 1154 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Main Entrance is through the alley. Tickets available here.

Ferdie got very ill while on tour and had to hospitalized for six days. Ferdie, like most musicians does not have health insurance. This show is to cover his medical bills.

* One of the special guest is the ____ Jerks. The other special guest is very heavy. Put your thinking caps on, true believers- why would Alternative Tentacles mention this show, unless... ?!?

07/25/07: Ward Churchill fired!
From today's Democracy Now program:"The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado in Boulder voted 8-to-1 Tuesday evening [July 24, 2007] to fire tenured professor of Ethnic Studies Ward Churchill on charges of research misconduct. But Churchill maintains that the allegations were a pretext to remove him for his controversial political views. One day after his firing, Churchill calls the charges a sham and vows a suit against the school."

07/02/07: July 4th Celebration AT style!
In honor of July 4th, known as Independence Day here in the US, here's an except from historian Ralph Young's on-line article Dissent Is American:

"There are many people in this country, and in this administration, who claim that those who have opposed the invasion of Iraq are unpatriotic (at best) and treasonous (at worst). Indeed, the USA PATRIOT Act, passed unanimously by Congress, stipulates penalties for criticism of the government. Patriotism, to the framers of the act, means supporting the decisions of our political leaders and that dissent is un-American. Protesters at presidential appearances have been routinely herded into "free speech zones" where their signs and slogans are only seen by the encircling cordon of police. This in spite of the fact that there is no mention in the Constitution that free speech is to be confined to a zone. Pretty soon cars will be sporting retro-sixties "America: Love it or Leave it!" bumper stickers. This attitude, however, only calls attention to one of this nation's most conspicuous failings-pervasive historical illiteracy. We need to recognize that dissent is American, that protest is patriotic. It is, in fact, one of the fundamental traits that define us...

The English colonies in North America were founded on dissent, and almost immediately after religious dissenters arrived in Massachusetts Bay voices of protest rose up against the puritan authorities. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams were banished for their views during the first decade of settlement. Let us also remember the patriots who fought the American Revolution to establish independence from a government that was not responsive to the needs of its colonial subjects, and reflect on the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. None of this was accomplished without a great deal of debate, dissent, protest, argument, resistance. None of it was easy. But somehow we did evolve into a country "of the people, by the people, for the people." Or did we?...

Today the American people are torn by an ill-advised war and occupation led by leaders who, in seeking to stifle the sort of healthy debate a democracy requires, do not seem to understand, indeed, who seem to shun, our own history. Many of those who opposed the war not only wanted to give peace a chance, but also take back the American government which appears to have been hijacked by ultra-rightist hawks. Neoconservatives have taken control of a United States which has historically prided itself in its values of peace, democracy, equality, freedom, and anti-imperialism, and, in the process, they are systematically eroding (if not actually demolishing) those ideals. There is nothing "conservative" about them. And the results of the 2006 mid-term elections seem, at first glance, to indicate that many American conservatives have repudiated the neoconservative ideology.

A democracy depends on an educated, well-informed citizenry. It also depends on educated well-informed leaders who are deeply connected and committed to cherishing, conserving, and nurturing the ideals which we believe set us apart. But those currently in power are not caretakers of the "American Dream." Will they be judged by history, like the despoilers of the pharaohs' tombs, as looters who have drained all meaning from the treasures of American democracy? Has "democracy" indeed become a radical notion?

If we get to the point where not only the international community, but even American citizens view the United States as the major threat to world peace than what hope is there for the world? What hope is there for countries that don't even pretend to love freedom ever to evolve into the kind of society that we espouse? If we don't take back our country the world itself (not just the United States) is doomed. We will look at the rest of the world from our "city upon a hill" and all we'll see is our own haunted reflection staring back at us."

06/25/07: Tuesday = day of internet radio silence!
Tuesday 6/26/07 is the national Day Of Silence. Hundreds of radio stations and internet broadcasters are altering or silencing their streams in order to protest the outrageous $$$ grab by the RIAA and affiliated major broadcasters. Participating stations include California faves like KALX, KUSF, KPFA, KCRW, & KZSU, as well as a host of other terrestrial/streaming radio stations nation-wide. Also included are services like Pandora, Rhapsody, Live365, Yahoo's LaunchCast, MTV Radio, & dozens of internet-only stations.

From Save Net Radio:"The future of Internet radio is in immediate danger. Royalty rates for webcasters have been drastically increased by a recent ruling and are due to go into effect on July 15 (retroactive to Jan 1, 2006!). To protest these rates and encourage the millions of net radio listeners to take action and contact their Congressional representatives, a national Day of Silence will be held June 26. Webcasters across the country will observe this day of silence in a number of ways, including dedicating entire programs to the campaign to save Internet Radio and broadcasting complete silence.

Net radio listeners, please excuse the interruption of your normal programming and take action to ensure this silence is not permanent. Call your Congressional Representatives today."

06/22/07: Check into Sicko Early!
Interested in checking out Michael Moore's new movie Sicko? There are dozens of Sneak Previews across the US tomorrow, Saturday June 23, 2007!

Synopsis of Sicko:If you want to stay healthy in America, don't get sick. Following on the heels of his award winning hit "Fahrenheit 9/11" and his Oscar winning film "Bowling for Columbine", acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore's new documentary sets out to investigate the American healthcare system. Sticking to his tried-and-true one-man approach, Moore sheds light on the complicated medical affairs of individuals and local communities. "Sicko" promises to be every bit as indicting as Moore's previous films.

06/07/07: Frisco anti-G8 Critical Mass!
From our e-mail box comes this announcement:
DIRECT ACTIONS AGAINST THE G8 ARE HAPPENING EVERYWHERE on JUNE 8th, 2007. You don't need to be in Germany to make your voices
heard! In San Francisco CRITICAL MASS meets this Friday at Justin Herman Plaza at 5:30pm. Rumor has it that a Pirate Clown Posse is mobilizing especially for this Critical Mass in honor of the global anti-G8 mobilization!

06/05/07: Anti-G8 protestors versus Germany pt.2
All hell's breaking loose in the run-up to this year's G8 Summit in eastern Germany. Hundreds of protesters and hundreds of police were injured in German riots over the weekend, while Germany has, according to today's Democracy Now deployed 16,000 police and 1,000 soldiers to protect the G8 Summit. Frankly, it's moving too quickly to post updates here, so here are some links for English updates throughout this week & weekend!

06/04/07: Jad Fair contributes art to LA event!
For the month of June, the ART DORKS COLLECTIVE has a group exhibition at Thinkspace, 4210 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. Phone (323) 913-3375. The reception is this Friday, June 8th, 7-11pm. The show runs June 8 - July 6, 2007

Today is Memorial Day in the US. Today we recognize the soldiers who have been killed throughout US history in battles and wars around the world. It's a very sobering day.

Obviously the US is embroiled in a few conflicts right now, including Colombia and Afghanistan. For better or for worse though, the war in Iraq is the main one, and that's the one where we unequivocally say Support the Troops, Bring Them Home! In 1971, future Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry asked the Senate, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" That terrible question is the one we must ask ourselves, our neighbors, and our Congress critters, and demand action right now!

Many more links to counseling, counter-recruitment, and activist groups can be found on the CCCO Links page.

05/19/07: Anti-G8 protestors versus Germany
From Gipfelsoli Infogruppe, the organization leading the various anti-G8 protests in Germany, including Dissent G8:"All demonstrations in the vicinity of Heiligendamm have been prohibited
under a General Ban issued by the German Office for Association. The
grounds behind the fence and a 4 kilometre area around the perimetre of
the fence fall under the ban. With this ban, the protests are to be held
at a 6 kilometre distance.

The planned 'star march' is one of the initiatives that is affected by
these measures. With the motto, 'taking the protest to Heiligendamm',
the star march is intended to end with a closing rally in Heiligendamm.
Today, the star march coalition is lodging an urgent appeal against the
ruling. A decision is expected at the end of next week. "If necessary,
we will have our right to protest confirmed by the federal courts", a
speaker for the star march coalition said. The prohibited area stretches
from the camp in Reddelich almost all the way to the camp in
Wichmannsdorf. A speaker of the BAO "Kavala" has declared that a
congregation of 3 people within this area is illegal under the ruling.
"This means that we can't even leave the camp in groups of 3 and walk
next to one another without the police breaking us up", says a camp
participant of the WomenLesbianTransgender Network. The rationale for
the ban, according to "Kavala", lies with the foreign policies of the G8
countries. A "latent threat situation" exists for the representatives of
the G8 countries because of the wars in "Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran,
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine". Even the German Government is
perceived as endangered, because of its "increasing engagement in
conflict regions". What is meant is the war in Afghanistan.

Hanne Jobst of the Gipfelsoli Infogruppe finds this reasoning absurd:
"Protest is forbidden because it would have negative effects for foreign
decision-makers. The G8 makes decisions that affect the lives of
millions of people every day, without the legitimacy to do so, yet in
the opinion of the police, the G8 should not have to be subjected to
these people's anger".

Even popstar Herbert Groenemeyer has to admit this: "There is real
anger", he explained in the German newspaper 'taz' the day before
yesterday. Conicidentally, this week in Scotland, charges against five activists
who were arrested and detained on their way to a closing demonstration
at the conference hotel in Gleneagles during the 2005 G8 summit, were
dropped. "As always during summit protests the police use arbitrary and
often illegal measures to prevent protest from reaching those it seeks
to criticise", Gerda Achterhuis of the Dutch Dissent network argues.
"The move to ban the demonstration does not surprise us. However, we
will not let ourselves be intimidated and will continue to mobilise for
the star march and all other actions against the G8 meeting."

stodgy ayatollahs in their double-knit ties
burn lots of books so they can feed you their lies
masturbating with a flag and a bible
god must be dead if you're alive

blow it out your ass, jerry falwell
blow it out your ass, jesse helms
blow it out your ass, ronald reagan
what's wrong with a mind of my own?

you don't want abortions, you want battered children
you want to ban the pill as if that solves the problem
now you wanna force us to pray in school
god must be dead if you're such a fool

you're planning for a war with or without iran
building a police state with the ku klux klan
pissed at your neighbor? don't bother to nag
pick up the phone and turn in a fag

blow it out your ass, terry dolan
blow it out your ass, phyllis schlafly
ram it up your cunt, anita
'cos god must be dead
if you're alive
god must be dead
if you're alive"

05/14/07: No Gas On Tuesday!
This e-mail's been making the rounds here in the U.S. Hit the oil companies where it hurts- their bottom line!
"NO GAS...On May 15th 2007, don't pump gas

In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of
gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight. On May 15th 2007, all internet users are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places. There are 73,000,000+ American members currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.
If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take $2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day."

05/09/07: German Gov't vs. Dissent G8!
From the Dissent G8 group: "Wave of Repression against anti-G8 structures in Germany!
Since Wednesday morning 8 am a wave of searches is taking places against left
structures throughout Germany. Targeted are social projects and private persons
that are organizing against the coming G8 summit - or suspected to do so.

In Berlin at least seven flats and office spaces are being searched, amongst
which two offices in Bethanien, a social centre in Kreuzberg, Berlin, and the
Fusion shop in the same district. The latter is a space used by an antifascist
organization and the Interventionist Left. Moreover, a bookshop in Mehringhof
and the office spaces of several alternative media projects in Lausitzer Straße
have been searched.

The criminal investigation police was putting special attention on the
alternative Internet server so36.net. Many left and alternative projects have
their websites, mailing lists and mail adresses hosted there. This way, the
communication structue of the anti-G8 movement is hit on a sensitive point.

In Hamburg the repression is aimed against the social centre "Rote Flora" and
diverse housing projects. Also in the surrounding of Berlin searches are taking
place. And there are first reports about searches in the city of Bremen.

The orders for the searches are based on § 129a: "Formation of a terrorist
association with the aim to stop the G8 summit". The random selection out of
many left housing and infrastructural projects makes clear that the
investigation is used as an excuse in order to weaken the mobilization against
the G8. "Probably diverse cases of property damage serve as an excuse for these
investigations", so the impression of the Campinski Press Group. One of these
cases occured at the Kempinski Hotel, where the G8 summit is going to take
place. The hotel was targeted with paint balls some months ago.

The context of a §129a investigation are instrumentalized in order to gather
data about the protest movement. Besides, such measures have, most likely
intended, intimdating effects. Only 2% of all $129a investigations result in
sentencing.

However: "Who invites the G8 summit, also invites the protest against it",
explains Hanne Jobst of the Berlin Bethanien office. "All attempts to
criminalize this movement will not prevent us from exposing worldwide
inequalities during the G8 summit."

The repressive acts of the criminal investigation police are not entirely
surprising. The left and radical left resistance against the G8 has reached an
uncontrollable level for the police. "So far, the police only tried to split
the resistance in the public media through hallucinating about an army of
'anarchists'. Now they will try to sabotage the organizational structures",
Jobst explains further.

"It is noteworthy that the searchces are targeted agaist all those parts of the
resistance that refuse to direct claims to the G8, because they refuse the G8
in general as an illegitimate institution", explains a spokesperson of the
Gipfelsoli Info Group."